Nindō: Shinobi Heart
by Animaster21
Summary: Set between the original series and Shippuden, a new generation of Shinobi graduate from the Ninja Academy in Konoha. Placed in squads of three, they learn to walk the path of the ninja. Canon characters included. Rated T just in case.
1. Shinobi

**Nindō: Shinobi Heart**

Hello, my dear readers. You are now reading my first ever Naruto fic. So, now I'll just do my normal "before fic" thing, and give the usual explanations.

First of all, time period. I've never seen Shippūden, only the first 135 episodes of the original series before the filler starts. I'm working my way through gradually, but I'm just too eager to write this to wait. Now, this story takes place in the gap between the original series and Shippūden, starting just after Naruto leaves with Jaraiya to train, after all the filler. Since I still haven't seen said filler, I'm going to assume that it never happened. So, Naruto left to train with Jaraiya directly after Sasuke left.

As per my usual thing, most of the main characters will be original characters, but unlike my usual thing, canon characters will make frequent appearances and be involved in the plot a fair bit. I'm also going to be using a few of my own jutsu. On the other hand, you can forget about all those honorifics; apart from "sensei", there won't be any honorifics whatsoever, unless they're in English (lord, master, etc).

So…there's probably something more I need to say, but I can't think of it now…

On with the chapter!

**000**

The morning sunlight radiated down into the Village Hidden in the Leaves. After the taxing invasion of Otogakure, the Sound Village – led by the legendary rogue ninja Orochimaru – and Sunagakure, the Sand Village, numbers and missions had been stretched thin. The newly appointed Fifth Hogake, Tsunade had certainly made an impact on the village since then, expertly organising the clean-up of the village, re-establishing treaties between countries, and forming good relationships with the people of the village.

But in the past few months, it seemed that things were settling down once again. Even after the unexplained defection of the village's most promising new Shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha, there hadn't been any further attacks on Konoha. Life, it seemed, was returning to normal.

The sound of clanging pots and hissing steam issued from Ramen Ichiraku, the local ramen restaurant, as inside the delicious food was cooked. The building was remarkably small for such a place; a bench inside for customers, shielded from the street by a few shades. They were pushed aside as someone entered.

Teuchi, owner of Ramen Ichiraku, looked around at the customer, smiling as he recognised the boy. He was a student from the academy, and an occasional visitor to the restaurant, popping in from time to time. Teuchi had an eye for faces, but the name eluded him.

The boy's hair was charcoal grey, spiking roughly into the air. He was wearing an academy-issue light flak jacket, coloured the dark green that signified Konoha, and had dark gold eyes. A fishnet shirt stuck to his torso and arms, and a light black rope was tied around his waist.

"Hey, kid," said Teuchi. "Haven't seen you for a few months."

"The academy sure keeps us busy," said the boy. He stuck out his forehead, the dull gleam of steel apparent. "But it was all worth it."

"Hey, you graduated!" smiled Teuchi. "Congratulations. The path of the Shinobi isn't for everybody, I can tell you, so you must have what it takes to protect the village. Don't let us down."

The ramen-man served up a large bowl of his trademark food, sliding the bowl over the counter and in front of the boy. He grinned.

"Thanks, sir," he said, and Teuchi shook his head, laughing.

"Oh, you can call me whatever you want…just not sir. I can't have that coming from a ninja of the Hidden Leave Village."

As the kid ate his meal, Teuchi busied himself by scrubbing clean some stubborn marks on old bowls. As he worked, he watched his customer.

"So you're a genin, huh? We need more people like you. Ninja, that is. The more the better, I'd say. After all, what with the attacks recently…"

He trailed off, and the boy looked up from his meal curiously. Teuchi shook his head. "It's nothing. The more protection we have, the safer Konoha will be, that's all I'm saying."

Finishing the ramen, the boy picked up his bowl and drained the leftover broth into his mouth, swallowing it all at once.

"Mmm-_mmm," _he grunted. "That was the best ramen I've had in a long time." The kid tapped his forehead-protector, grinning widely. "Duty calls, sir. I start my new training today. Can't be late, so I gotta go!"

He slid backwards off his chair, and went to duck under the curtains, but Teuchi called him back.

"Sorry, kid, that meal isn't gonna pay for itself," he said, and the boy laughed, digging around in his pockets and pulling out some change.

"Sorry, sir! Here you go."

Teuchi took the money, smiling at the kid. If everyone was like him, the world would be a much nicer place.

"Thanks for that, son. Say, what's your name again?"

The boy tapped his headband again, grinning. "I'm Katsuto Naika. Gotta run!"

He ducked away and was gone. Teuchi went back to scrubbing at the stains on his old bowls, thinking to himself.

"_Katsuto Naika," _he thought. "_Nice kid. He'll make a fine ninja, I'm sure."_

**000**

The buildings passed by in a blur as Katsu leapt over the rooftops. The roads through the Village were no fun to walk on, and he was almost running late anyway, so strolling along would only make him miss the start of his new life.

"_Genin," _he thought, thinking once more about the forehead-protector tied around his head. "_I still can't believe I graduated. It already feels like the Academy is for beginners."_

In truth, he'd only graduated yesterday, when the other members of his class had taken the graduation exam. Thinking back, Katsu could barely remember the written part of the exam, but had successfully produced three immaterial clones in the practical portion of the test, as well as other such tasks like the Transformation Technique.

Leaping over the final building, he landed outside the Academy doors, wrenching them open and dashing inside. A long hallway faced him, but he quickly made his way down it and slid open another door, revealing the classroom.

The classroom was on a set of tiers, the back of the room being the highest and moving lower until the front of the classroom, where the large blackboard was fixed to the front wall. Desks and chairs were placed on each tier, allowing the Academy students to always be able to see the front of the classroom – as well as for the instructor teaching them to always be able to see them.

Entering the room, Katsu glanced around. Everybody in the room had also passed the exam; any failures had been placed in a different class. Katsu made his way between the desks to the far end of the classroom and sat down, sliding along the bench that served as a seat until he reached the end.

"Katsu, behind you."

Katsu twisted around in his chair as he heard a quiet voice behind him. There were about fifteen other people in the class already, but only a few were talking.

"So, you made it through as well, did you?" asked the owner of the voice, and Katsu found himself looking at Hideki Gengo. Hideki was about a year older than Katsu, with black eyes and a short grey ponytail. "It's good to see that so many of us did."

Katsu looked around at the others. "Yeah, I guess. I heard that only a few people failed, though. I wonder who?"

Hideki shrugged. "It doesn't matter for those who didn't pass. Their path has ended."

Katsu frowned. "That's a bit heartless. I'd feel awful for failing when most of the others graduated."

Hideki shrugged for the second time. "They're not cut out to be ninja if they can't pass the graduation test, everyone knows that." He looked at the clock hanging from the wall. "Class starts in five minutes; from here on out, our training is a complete mystery. Who knows what will happen, so we'd best be prepared."

"You're right," said Katsu, subconsciously tightening the thin rope around his waist. "Say, Hideki? How did you find the exam, anyway? Was it difficult for you?"

Hideki thought to himself. "Not really, although there were a few areas where I feel I personally failed. For example, my fifth clone was rather deformed. I didn't have enough chakra left to complete it."

Katsu was shocked. "_Fifth? _You mean you managed to create four perfect clones and still tried for a fifth?"

"_He's better than I thought…I only managed the three that I needed, let alone four."_

While chakra control and concentration were by no means Katsu' weak point, he knew that such a feat was beyond him without preparation. For Hideki to be able to achieve it before even graduating sent alarm bells running through Katsu's mind. Either Hideki was above average…or Katsu was below.

"_I'd better work on that some more," _he thought. "_That's it; whenever I have free time, I will be practising my jutsu, mark my words!"_

Hideki looked disinterested in his own achievement. "From what I have heard, it's not such a big thing compared to another in the class. I have not yet found out whom, but one of us created six flawless clones."

"Six? No way, who was it?"

Hideki looked balefully at him. "Didn't I just say that I don't know who it was? You know all that I do about it."

The sheer magnitude of this new revelation drove Hideki's response from his brain. Dumbstruck, Katsu ignored the other boy and took a quick glance around the classroom, at the rest of his classmates. His eyes lingered on a few; Nano Donabume and Sumio Otogi among them, but he discarded them from the potential list. Nano was far more skilled at Taijutsu than chakra control, and Sumio…he seemed too quiet, detached, and harmless to be able to produce _six _clones at once.

As he gazed the room, his gold eyes narrowed as a particular person entered his field of view. A few inches taller than him (much to his great annoyance), with dark hair somewhere between navy blue and purple, Nachi Takaho was surrounded on both sides by her fellow kunoichi. Katsu scowled as he saw her.

"_Great…" _he thought. "_Just my luck, Nachi made it through as well. Now, _there's_ one person I wouldn't have minded to have failed."_

"But it does not matter anymore," said Hideki quietly, drawing Katsu's attention, and the genin saw that the pony-tailed boy had also been scanning their classmates. "The exams have come and gone; they are in the past. What matters now is what we'll be able to do in the future."

Katsu nodded confidently, attempting to push both Nachi and the six clones from his head. "You're right," he said. "We'll head down a whole new path now. Because now we're genin, after all!"

He jumped as there was a loud scraping noise, followed by a loud bang, as the door of the classroom was hurled open, and a figure stepped in. Almost everybody in the room looked over at the noise.

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed a loud voice, belonging to the newcomer. Short shaggy hair covered his head, and he wore his new forehead-protector around his waist like a belt. "Heads up, people! The tornado has entered! You're all going to be swept aside by me, the newly appointed Head Genin, Daiki Sosa!"

A stunned and somewhat disbelieving silence followed his words, broken as several loud groans sounded across the room.

"In your dreams, Sosa…"

"Head Genin, yeah right."

"_He _made it through?" groaned Hideki quietly, and Katsu sat back on his seat, grinning widely and laughing. He raised his arm and called across the room, catching Daiki's attention.

"Hey, knucklehead, over here! I saved your seat!"

Daiki scratched his head, smiling sheepishly, and scurried past the other desks to where Katsu sat, sliding in next to him.

"Hi there, Katsu," he grinned. "Boy, am I glad to see you here, I can tell you that! I only just passed, so you can bet that I was worried about you making it through."

Katsu rolled his eyes. Daiki had some of the worst scores in the year. Katsu – and most of the other academy students – easily outstripped him. If Daiki had anyone to worry about, it would only be himself.

Hideki gave Katsu an exasperated look over Daiki's shoulder, but Katsu only grinned. Luckily, while most of the class found Daiki annoying and his various antics ridiculous, Katsu had quickly made friends with the failure, and Hideki had also never shown outright animosity.

"You're an idiot, Sosa. How you made it through, I'll never know!"

Daiki turned bright red as a cocky and doubtful voice interrupted them. Katsu looked past Daiki to see Nachi Takaho standing in the aisle between the desks on their tier, hands on hips. She was grinning.

"Nachi!" hissed Katsu under his breath, bunching his fists, as Daiki frowned at her.

"I passed the exam because I'm a great ninja, Nachi Takaho!" he said indignantly, and then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How did _you _make it through?"

Nachi threw back her head and laughed, her blue-purple hair swishing behind her back. The girl's spiky fringe covered one side of her headband, and she wore steel-backed gloves to protect her hands when she punched. Katsu couldn't stand her, nor could she him.

"_I _passed easily," she bragged. "A loser like _you, _Daiki Sosa, must have cheated somehow."

"Hey, lay off him!" said Katsu angrily, standing up. "How could someone cheat on a practical exam, anyway, you smarmy walrus?"

"WALRUS!" screamed Nachi, flaring up immediately. "You can talk, you fishnet ferret!"

Hideki sighed wearily as Katsu and Nachi threw increasingly bizarre insults at each other, growing louder and louder until most of the class was listening in. Just in time, as they were right in each other's face with fists raised and sparks flying between their eyes, a stern voice shouted through the classroom.

"Katsuto, Nachi! Get back in your seats right now!"

Katsu glanced to the front of the classroom, where a scowling ninja stood. A chūnin, he was their academy instructor, with a standard Konoha flak jacket and a high brown ponytail.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei…" he mumbled, and sank into his seat, glaring at Nachi. The girl was still for a moment, veins pulsing in her forehead, but she turned and walked back to her desk, but not before drawing a finger across her throat at Katsu.

"_You're ssssoooooo gonna die later," _the gesture said, and Katsu poked out his tongue. As the class settled down, he felt that he definitely wouldn't have minded a rumble with Nachi right then and there. She'd had it coming for a while.

"That's more like it," said Iruka. "There's no fighting in this classroom."

He ruffled the papers in his hands, looking around at the class. "Now, everybody. As of today, you've all been promoted to the rank of genin, a first-level ninja, and begin your official ninja careers. I hope you know; it won't be easy. A Shinobi's life is a difficult one, but I'm sure you can all advance in your lives and grow stronger.

"To help further your individual skills, you will be split up into several three-man squads, and assigned an elite jōnin to lead you and teach you."

"Huh? Three-man squads?" murmured Katsu. "We're not all going to be together?"

Hideki leaned forward behind him. "You didn't know we were being split up? Of course we are."

But as Katsu looked around the room, he saw that he wasn't the only one unaware of that fact. Several of his classmates were looked worriedly at each other and holding small conversations. Daiki almost fell off his chair.

"Oh man, this is gonna be rough…" he groaned, and looked nervously at Katsu sitting next to him. "I hope we're together."

"So," said Iruka, and the class fell silent. Tension was in the air as their instructor looked down at the sheets in his hand. "I will now read out the squads, so pay attention. You've been sorted based on your skills and talents to create a balance."

The class waited with baited breath as Iruka began announcing their squads. With each group he also told them where to assemble to meet their new jōnin sensei.

"Who do you want to be with?" whispered Daiki, and Katsu shrugged.

"I don't care so much, as long as it's not with bloody Nachi…"

Daiki began to laugh quietly, but stopped when he heard his name.

"Now for Squad E: Daiki Sosa…"

Daiki sat up straight in his chair, looking around worriedly as Iruka began to read his team-mates.

"…Nano Donabume…"

Daiki swallowed as Nano turned to look at him. Nano was the most proficient in the class, but rarely conversed with anyone and preferred to stay alone. His headband was on a slant, covering his left eye, replacing the bandage that used to be there. His remaining black eye was fixed on Daiki, and a slight smile reached his mouth.

"…and the third member, Chinukani Gengo."

Hideki chuckled, a few shorts ha's. "Good luck dealing with my sister. She looks nice, but she can be a real hag sometimes."

Chinukani wore a light purple short kimono covering her torso and lower body, and had two pigtails, one on either side of her head. She smiled warmly at Daiki, and he sighed in relief.

Iruka told them where to meet afterwards, and continued reading.

"Squad F: Nachi Takaho."

The proud girl sat up in her chair, smirking as she looked around at the rest of the class. Then she laid eyes on Katsu and they scowled at each other.

"…Sumio Otogi…"

Katsu looked at the second member of Nachi's squad. Sumio was small and frail-looking, with a short haircut that looked like it was glued to his head and wrappings covering his arms. He was pretty quiet, but was quite the smart one.

"…and lastly, Katsuto Naika."

"_ME?" _Katsu gasped, almost having a heart attack.

"WHaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAT?" shrieked Nachi. "You?"

"Iruka-sensei!" shouted Katsu loudly, slamming his hands on the desk and standing up violently. "There must be a mistake. You've read the wrong name, haven't you? I'm not in Squad F."

"He _can't _be on my squad!" protested Nachi, and acting on the same impulse, they squeezed out from behind their desks and met in the aisle, pushing and shoving each other side as they ran down to the front of the classroom.

Iruka awaited them with a furious expression as they came to a stop in front of him, each jostling to be the first to speak.

"Sensei!" declared Nachi. "I refuse to work with this _troll!"_

"She's insane, Iruka-sensei!" grunted Katsu, elbowing Nachi out of the way. She responded with a heavy punch to the jaw, knocking Katsu into a daze. He went cross-eyes, swaying on the spot.

"HEY, STOP IT!" yelled Iruka, and stepped between them. The instructor sighed, as Katsu shook out of his trance and stared daggers at Nachi. "Listen to me, both of you. This childish rivalry is _exactly _why you were put on the same team."

He smirked, lifting a finger and wagging it. "After all, a true Shinobi has to learn to work with people they don't like. And they also have to learn….TO NOT ACT LIKE IDIOTS! NOW GET BACK IN YOUR SEATS!"

Hideki shook his head. "Whoever their jōnin sensei is…He's gonna have a _reeeaaal _rough time…"

**000**

Katsu cursed his luck as he walked. Beside him, Nachi sniffed poshly, and looked away stubbornly, arms folded. Katsu scowled.

"_Who does that walrus think she is?" _he thought spitefully. "_I can't _believe _that Iruka-sensei put us on the same squad!"_

They had been told to meet their sensei at the gates out of the village, where they were heading now, walking down the only path to the gate. Behind the two rivals walked Sumio, the third member of the squad. His dark blue half-gi was tied at the front with a band, stretching around his stomach and stopping the gi from falling apart.

Sumio tilted his head curiously as they passed a bench on the side of the path. "If you two hate each other so much, then why are you walking next to each other?"

Katsu corrected him. "Actually, Sumio, I'm not walking next to her; she's walking next to _me_."

"_Wrong, _Katsuto. _Wrong!" _replied Nachi. "I was here first, so _you're _walking next to me, not the other way round."

"Sorry I asked…" muttered Sumio, as his two teammates began bickering.

Squad F reached the gate, and Katsu looked around. The square in front of the gate was completely deserted.

"Where's our sensei?" he asked bluntly. "I thought we were meant to meet him here."

Nachi rolled her eyes. "He's not here yet, genius. We're early."

Sumio sat at the edge of the square in the shade of some buildings, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. Katsu glanced at him, then began to pace impatiently. Nachi's dirty look grew more and more loathsome, before she finally screamed.

"Stop pacing, you idiot!"

Katsu stopped, but only to glare at his rival.

"Why, oh why did I get put with the biggest loser in the class?" lamented the dark-haired girl, staring at the sky, and Katsu cracked his knuckles.

"I bet I scored better than _you, _walrus," he said confidently. "I scored higher than you on the test, remember?"

"Yeah, on the _written _test," insisted Nachi. "But in the practical exam, I came top in the class. Six clones, beat that!"

A vein in Katsu's forehead throbbed as he registered what she'd said, and then connected it to what Hideki had told him earlier. "It was _YOU?" _he exclaimed. "OOWWRR, I cannot stand this!"

He lunged at Nachi, who rapidly flashed her hands back and forth, making various shapes with her fingers.

"_Hand-signs!" _thought Katsu. "_She's using a jutsu…but not if I get her first!"_

The genin swung his arm and slugged Nachi across the face, knocking her flat on her back. But even as Katsu stood over her, smirking, there was a loud _poof_, and she vanished in a cloud of smoke, which eventually cleared to reveal a small log lying where Nachi had been.

"_He had to have been blind to not see that coming…these two are total psychos…" _thought Sumio from where he meditated. Even though he was meant to have both eyes closed, he couldn't resist watching the fight that was no doubt about to break out.

"What?" gasped Katsu. "Oh no!"

"How'd you like my substitution technique?" sneered Nachi's smug voice, and Katsu spun to see her leaning against the gate, a cocky smirk on her face. The girl held a kunai knife, spinning it around by the loop in its hilt. "Now, let's see _you _do better!" She flicked her wrist and the kunai hissed through the air towards Katsu, its razor sharp point glinting under the sun.

"_She's insane!" _Katsu thought desperately, frozen to the spot. The kunai was going way too fast from too close a distance to dodge.

And just as it was about to stab into him, a hand flicked out of nowhere and caught it. Katsu let out a deep breathe, and staggered backwards.

"Come now," said an unfamiliar voice, and Katsu looked at the man who had appeared from nowhere next to him. He'd snatched the kunai right out of the air between his index and middle fingers.

The man had short brown hair, his fringe held back by the forehead-protector that he wore. He smiled airily, black eyes sharp but joking at the same time. He was excessively tall, with a firm build and powerful-looking legs.

The man swaggered over to where Nachi stood and stabbed the kunai into the gate next to her, the blade spearing the wood easily. He leaned in uncomfortably close, and Nachi looked freaked out as the man's face closed in to a few centimetres from hers, their noses almost touching. She leaned back sharply, but he followed, until Nachi was almost bent back at right-angles with the ground, and the older ninja was almost on top of her.

Suddenly he smiled widely, eyes closing. "You're Nachi Takaho, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah…" she said uncomfortably, and the man stood up, moving away. Nachi sighed in relief; it had been a weird experience.

"And I've heard from a close friend of mine – one Iruka Umino – that you have quite the rivalry with another. He even said that he's never seen a thing quite like it, the way that you and your arch-rival constantly argue. Isn't that right, Katsuto Naika?"

Katsu scowled. "You got that damn right! Did you see that? She could have killed me!"

The newcomer laughed. "Not much thanks for saving you, I see. Oh well." He raised his voice. "Sumio! Come and join us!"

Katsu had completely forgotten about Sumio, the quiet boy not making a sound as he and Nachi had fought. He looked over at the shady area where their third member had been sitting, to see Sumio walking over. When he reached the man, he bowed deeply.

"I've looked forward to meeting you, sensei," he said breathlessly and formally.

Katsu tilted his head. "Huh? What are you talking abou-" The genin cut himself off, looking doubtfully at the man. "Are you…?"

The Shinobi laughed heartily, and spread his arms wide. "Hello, students. My name is Taichi Bako, highly ranked ninja and jōnin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! Oh, and did I forget to mention…team leader of Squad F, and your new sensei!"

**000**

So, how'd you like it? It might seem like there're a lot of characters already, but don't worry, I'll introduce them all properly later on. For the next few chapters, the only people who matter are Katsu, Nachi, Sumio, and Taichi.

So, yeah, what to say next. The exact time period is about two months after Naruto leaves with Jaraiya. By the way, I'm going to make a new DeviantArt account (I forgot the password to my old one) and put pictures of the characters on it. I haven't got one of Taichi though, so you'll just have to imagine him. The rest I made on a Naruto character designer that I found online, but you can only make teenage-looking people, so Taichi looked really weird…

Anyways, I'd better sign off. Don't forget to check out my other fics ;)

Toodles!


	2. The Games Begin!

**Nindō: Shinobi Heart**

Second chapter, here it is! Sorry it took so long.

Well, there's nothing really to say, so let's get right into it, shall we? Wait, hold on, I just remembered; the pics of the characters are up on DeviantArt. My account is Animaster2195.

On with the chapter!

**000**

"Uh…Sensei? Is this _really _necessary?" asked Nachi, as she stood perfectly balanced on top of the pole beneath her, looking doubtful. They were still in the large empty plaza in front of the gate leading out of the village.

Below her - standing confidently on the flat solid ground - Squad F's sensei, Taichi Bako, tilted his head inquisitively and considered the question. His short brown hair swayed ever so slightly in the breeze, and Nachi almost overbalanced as a particularly strong gust flowed past.

The wooden pole she was standing on was almost two meters tall, and to her chagrin, was about two inches in diameter. It was made of some sort of polished wood. The narrowness of the stick made it extremely difficult to keep standing perfectly upright; even leaning over slightly could unbalance the pole.

Beside Nachi, Sumio and Katsu were also balancing atop identical pillars. She was glad to see that Katsu was wobbling almost as much as she was; not enough to fall, but enough to be visible. Sumio, in the other hand, was almost perfectly still, maintaining a perfect control over the stick without any apparent concentration. The pale, quiet boy had always had the advantage of natural poise, balance and patience, whether it was standing atop these poles now, or running across a razor-thin wire as a training exercise back at the Academy.

"_He's so calm all of the time," _she thought, and scowled. "_It's almost annoying."_

At the thought, she swayed very slightly, and for a moment almost fell, but managed to stop herself without making it obvious what had happened. The kunoichi's skin crawled at the thought of Katsu performing better than her.

"Well?" she asked violently, looking down at Taichi. "Is it necessary?"

Once again she noted her sensei's height; he was perhaps a few inches over two metres. The jōnin wore a funny expression as he thought, but it vanished as Nachi spoke, and he turned his smug black eyes on her. Taichi seemed to have a confident air about him, far more apparent than of any other person Nachi had ever met.

"That's a good question…do _you _think it's necessary?"

Nachi didn't even have to think, shaking her head. "No. Why would it be?"

Taichi shrugged curiously. "In that case, it probably isn't necessary. I, for one, don't think it is."

Nachi just look confused. "Then why are you making us stand on these poles while you're down there on the ground?"

Taichi smirked. "Because you have to do what I tell you…"

As Nachi's eyes sprung into flame, Katsu just laughed. "What's wrong, Nachi. Can't you even keep your balance?"

Nachi glared at him. "I swear, Katsuto, I will thump you so hard. Of _course _I can keep my balance!"

As Katsu opened his mouth to retaliate, Taichi got in first. "You two really don't get along, do you? I suppose you both threw a fit when you found you were on the same squad? Well, get used to it, it's a good lesson for the both of you. If you're going to be ninja, you're going to have work with people you have grudges against, or the mission will never work."

"We know," grumbled Katsu. "Iruka-sensei told us."

Taichi just smiled, and plonked himself down on his rump, before digging around in a pocket and pulling out a small sphere of chocolate, which he promptly ate without hesitation.

"Ah, that hit the spot," he sighed, oblivious to the strange looks he was getting from his students. The jōnin leant back, propping himself up with his hands, and looked over the three genin one by one.

"So," he said. "Here you all are. Like I said before, I'm Taichi Bako, your new sensei and squad leader. From now on, we work as a team, going on missions together and training together. Bonds will grow between us; they always do. There will come a time when you will rely on each other without thinking, able to trust the others to assist you without needing to ask."

"_Huh, yeah right…like I'd ever work with Katsuto…" _thought Nachi, and gulped as Taichi turned his eyes on her. "_Uh…can he read my mind? Why's he looking at _me_?"_

"So…introductions," said Taichi. "I've already read your files and status reports, but let's review a little, shall we?" Nachi breathed a sigh of relief, as Taichi examined her.

"First…Nachi Takaho," he said curiously, running his eyes up and down her body. A little over average height for her age, with rich purple hair, complete with ponytail. "Eldest daughter of Maka Takaho, and heir of the clan secrets. Am I right?"

Nachi nodded. "Yes, Sensei. You know my father?"

Taichi laughed airily. "Of course I do. We went on a few missions when we were younger. Quite the practitioner in Ninjutsu, old Maka was. Probably knew over two hundred different techniques. And from what I hear, you've inherited some of his talent. Six clones, Iruka tells me. Impressive."

Katsu scoffed under his breath, and Taichi chuckled at him. This boy with his golden eyes and the light rope tied around his stomach was no pushover either. "And now we come to you, Katsuto Naika. You also come from a well-known family; average skills in both Ninjutsu and weaponry usage, with particular proficiency in Taijutsu. You also performed quite well on your written tests; fifth in your class, in fact. And of course, you and Nachi share something of a connection…"

Nachi scowled. "I hate his guts."

"And I hate hers," answered Katsu without hesitation, but otherwise ignored his rival. There would be time for arguing later, he thought, and that smug kunoichi, no matter how skilled she made herself out to be, was going to stop him from his training. Now that he was a genin, and under the tuition of this ninja, Taichi, he was determined to excel further than he ever had before.

The academy was past; now the real training began.

Taichi seemed to lose interest in them, and turned to Sumio, who was entirely focussed on balancing, remaining perfectly still on his pole. "And finally, the last member of our new family, Sumio Otogi. A healthy balance of both Ninjutsu _and _Taijutsu, with exceptional chakra control and a dedicated and committed approach to your learning. In addition, I've been told by Iruka that your mother has given you some extra classes in the field of medicine and healing techniques."

Sumio nodded, his almost-shaved hair lying flat upon his head. "Yes, Sensei. My clan has raised a long line of Medical-nin, and I wish to join their ranks."

"_A Medical-nin…?" _thought Katsu. "_How boring. Sumio is such a weirdo."_

Taichi glanced over them all again; hot-headed Nachi on the left, skinny but strong Katsuto in the middle, and the quiet and deep Sumio on the right. He smiled to himself. Iruka chose well…

"So who are you, anyway?" asked Katsu curiously, and for once Nachi didn't find whatever he said a dumb question – she herself had been extremely interested in their new teacher from the moment they had met him.

He was gifted, she knew that. Nachi had kept her eyes on Katsu the entire time they'd fought. After substituting her body and throwing a kunai at her rival, Taichi had literally come from nowhere, simply appearing right next to Katsuto in the blink of an eye and snatching her kunai right out of the air. It had been almost instantaneous.

Taichi laughed again; he seemed to do it a lot. As all three of his students looked at him, he fished another chocolate sphere from somewhere on his person and plopped it into his mouth, facial muscles relaxing as the substance melted in his mouth. "You want to know about me? Well, what to tell you? I graduated from the academy at ten years of age, and became a Chūnin at eleven. Skip forward a couple more years and I'm a jōnin at fifteen." He mentally counted up the years in his head. "That was nine years ago now…what else, what else? I like eating chocolate, playing with knives, and meeting new people. My favourite animal is a skunk. Anything else you'd like to know?"

The weird looks he was getting from the genin grew even larger, but mingled in with the surprise was respectful awe.

"_He was a jōnin at _fifteen! H_e really is good…_" thought Sumio.

The jōnin seemed oblivious to their expressions, smiling innocently at Katsu, who had asked the question. "So, what's _your _favourite animal?"

"Oh," said Katsu, wracking his brains. "Um…"

Nachi rolled her eyes. "Typical Katsuto, you can't even think of an answer to a simple question like that."

"Shut it Nachi. I'll tell you what _your _favourite is – a walrus!"

The girl's eyes sparked, and she gritted her teeth, almost falling off her pole as she did so. Suddenly, they were interrupted.

"So, I've told you about myself, and I've told you about yourselves, so now it's your turn. Sumio? Spill…"

Sumio looked taken aback, his pale green eyes staring dully at their Sensei, confused, but recovered quickly. "My name is Sumio Otogi. I'm twelve years old, and I like reading and playing music. My instrument is a shakuhachi."

Taichi nodded, and then glanced at Katsu. "You next."

Katsu grinned widely, and pointed to himself. "I'm Katsuto Naika! I'm twelve too, but I turn thirteen in nine months. I want to be as strong as I can be, and above all I want to be better than Nachi."

The girl frowned, and began before Taichi could even ask. "Well, _my _name is Nachi Takaho, and I'll never lose to that moron. My hobbies are practising my jutsu and learning my clan's special techniques from my father. And I _hate _Katsuto Naika!"

Taichi and Sumio both sighed. "This will be slightly harder than I thought," muttered the jōnin, and then raised his voice so they could all hear him. "OK, now that the introductions are out of the way, we can begin. Officially, you're meant to have the rest of the day off getting to know one another a little better, but I think we've already achieved that, so I've organised a few games to play instead."

"Huh? A game?" asked Nachi. "What type of game?"

Taichi shrugged and stood up. "Oh, just a few little activities. I'm sure you'll find them entertaining. In fact, we can begin the first one right now."

The Shinobi casually tugged a small rubber ball from one of the pouched hanging at his waist. It was a light creamy colour, and about the size of a tomato. Taichi gently tossed it into the air and caught it a few times.

"Here're the rules of the first game," he said. "You can get down, by the way."

With sighs of relief from Katsu and Nachi, the three students jumped down from their perches and stood facing their sensei, who was still playing with the rubber ball.

"I'm going to throw the ball, and whoever holds it in their hand first wins the game." He smiled at them. "Also, the winner gets a prize. I've chosen the prizes individually for you, depending on what you like."

Katsu was interested; Taichi had gone to such lengths to ensure that they would enjoy their reward? What a nice guy…

"So," said Taichi, and caught the ball one final time. "Let's go!"

With a flick of his wrist, the ball thundered into the sky, arcing across the large square in front of the gate leading out of the village and over the small buildings nearby. Katsu and Nachi moved at once, leaping across the open space and launching themselves into the air after the ball. Taichi looked at their retreating forms, and then frowned, turning to see that Sumio hadn't moved.

"Why aren't you going after the ball?"

Sumio just shook his head. "Katsuto and Nachi are both trying to win the prize, as well as to beat the other. I think that those are folly reasons to attempt to win."

Taichi looked surprised, but was impressed. "Interesting philosophy, young Sumio."

The boy in the blue half-gi looked at him, tilting his head. "Also…it's a trap, isn't it?"

Taichi just looked over to where Katsu and Nachi would no doubt be catching up to the ball, and a sly smirk snaked across his face. "Of course it is," he replied, and vanished.

Sumio pale eyes opened as wide as golf balls as his sensei seemed to haze into thin air, and a hard wave of air smashed into him. Taking a step back, the genin spun his head to see a line of dirt tear up from the ground, crossing the entire plaza in a single second. As the dirt reached the edge of the wide space, an almost invisible blur simply fired into the sky, moving faster than Sumio could register, and then it was gone.

"_Was that…?" _he thought, paralysed by shock. "_What speed…!"_

**000**

The second the small rubber ball left Taichi's fingers, Katsu sprung into action. His golden eyes followed the ball as it hurtled over the houses lining the square, clearing them easily. He kicked off on his right foot, dashing as fast as he could across the uneven bricks on the ground, not once taking his eyes off the ball.

As the genin reached the edge of the plaza, he launched his body into the air, leaping onto the small terrace built onto the roof of the house directly in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of purple.

"_Nachi!" _he thought angrily, and picked up his pace, lightly skipping from building to building. Nachi followed with equal speed and precision, and to his disbelief managed to fully catch up with him, until they were running side-by-side.

"That ball's mine!" she shouted, as the two of them grew closer to the flying ball. It was losing speed and beginning to fall, but Katsu leapt off the roof he was on across the gap onto its neighbour, but found his actions mirrored perfectly by Nachi.

"_I gotta take her out and get that ball!" _he thought, and kicked off into the air. The rubber sphere was only twenty metres above him, but rather than going for it, he twisted in midair so that he faced Nachi just below.

_Shwiiiiizch!_

Katsu yelled in alarm as a kunai hissed towards his body, and jerked his head to one side. The black blade missed by an inch, flashing under the sun as it zoomed by. As he dodged the kunai, Katsu swung his leg as hard as he could. Nachi was just below him, in perfect range, and he kicked her hard across the face.

The girl screeched in a mixture of pain and fury as she was knocked off balance, falling to the roof below, rolling to break her fall. She was back on her feet in a second.

Meanwhile, Katsu somersaulted in midair and landed on one knee, turning his gaze to the sky, searching.

There!

The ball was only five metres above him. Grinning confidently, he sprung off the rooftop and extended his arm above him, ready to grab the target. Nachi jumped as well, but was too slow; Katsu would reach the ball before she would.

"_Cake…"_ thought Katsu, and his fingertips grazed the ball…

...which was snatched from his grasp, held in a gloved hand.

Just below him, Nachi's eyes widened as a large shape hurled from nowhere and stole the rubber ball right from Katsuto's grasp. Even as she hurtled through the air towards it, she recognised who it was.

"_It's Taichi-sensei!"_

Katsu shouted in surprise as the sensei snatched the sphere, but a split second later the wind was driven from his lungs as the jōnin used his other hand to smack Katsu out of the air. He collided with the rooftop, and was still as he struggled to breathe in, completely winded.

And then, unable to halt her own flight into the air, Nachi felt a tight hand clench around the front of her vest, as Taichi grabbed her. The jōnin spun in the air, pulling Nachi around and throwing her across to the adjacent building, where she slid across the roof and smacked with a pole reaching to the sky.

With both of his students effectively dispatched, Taichi somersaulted and lightly touched to the roof, straightening up to his full height. The rubber ball was clenched in his right hand, and he hadn't even broken a sweat despite easily taking down two other ninja.

Wincing, Katsu stumbled to his feet, holding at his diaphragm where Taichi had struck. He glared at his sensei, who met his gaze with a mocking stare.

"HEY!" shrieked a piercing voice, and Nachi leapt from her building onto the rooftop where they stood. She pointed her finger wildly at Taichi. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

Taichi held up the ball, showing it to her. "I win," he said casually. "Wasn't that fun…"

Katsu grunted. "You never said you were in the game," he gasped, still struggling to draw in oxygen. To his chagrin, Taichi merely shrugged.

"I never said I wasn't," he said, and suddenly his eyes lost their humour, turning serious as he looked at them. "If that had have been a proper mission, and I was an enemy ninja, _you would have been killed."_

Katsu took a step backward. "W-what?"

Nachi looked similarly stunned, and Taichi elaborated. "Your entire attention was on the ball, and _not _on your surroundings. This left the widest opening an opponent could hope for, and you see how effective an attack was. Not only did I get the ball, I took you both down at once."

"You're a jōnin…" muttered Nachi angrily. "Of course you beat us."

Taichi shook his head. "That doesn't matter. You still left yourselves wide open. Tell me…where is Sumio right now?"

Katsu started as he noticed the lack of the third member, and looked around. "I…don't know…"

Taichi looked at him. "Sumio saw this for what it was; a trap set by me to catch you off guard. Both of you leapt into the fray without stopping to think about why. One of the key abilities of a ninja isn't physical strength, or chakra control…it's knowing your own limits and what you can – or in this case, _can't _– do. Against someone with my skill, you would have no hope in succeeding the mission. Sumio made the right choice and declined."

Katsu listened with a dull sense of ineptness, angry at himself for falling for the trick so easily. "I'm sorry, sensei…"

Taichi shook his head. "Don't apologise for your mistakes; I only ask that you learn from them. Now…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a third piece of chocolate. "As the winner, I now get my prize."

**000**

Katsu glanced around as Taichi led the way through the now-open gate leading out of the village. Directly on the other side of the colossal gate was a wide path, lines by trees. It was on this path that Squad F now found themselves.

"Um…Taichi-sensei?" asked Nachi as they stopped walking, a mere hundred metres from the gate. "Where exactly are we going?"

Taichi looked them all over again, his black eyes once again examining them. "We're going right here," he said. "This is the starting line for the second game we're going to play."

Katsu suppressed a groan. Another game? He knew that it was not designed to be a fun activity for the participants, unless your name was Taichi Bako. Katsu had realised soon after he and Nachi had been defeated so utterly by Taichi while getting the ball; their training had already begun.

"What do we have to do, sensei?" asked Sumio formally, and Katsu sweat-dropped. Was the Medical-nin-to-be going to pass on this one too?

Taichi gave that dangerous sly smile again, and he pointed to the forest to their left. "I assume you all know the location of the Houkajin shrine?"

The genin nodded, and their sensei smiled. "The shrine is the destination."

"_Starting line…destination…does that mean…?"_

"It's a race?" asked Nachi, reaching the same conclusion as Katsu, and Taichi nodded seriously.

"That's right," he confirmed, and drew up to his full height, eyes flickering to them all in turn. "Listen carefully – your objective is to beat me to the Houkajin shrine. There is only one rule, and that is that you cannot kill anyone. Are you ready to begin?"

"Wait, sensei!" said Sumio quickly. "The Houkajin shrine is almost four hours away, even for someone like Iruka-sensei!"

Taichi just tilted his head. "Something wrong, Sumio?"

The boy was silent for a moment, then shook his head reluctantly. "No, sensei."

Taichi pointed in the direction of the shrine, at the thousands upon thousands of trees and bushes between them and their objective. "No more delays. GO!"

Katsu wasted a few seconds while he stood and gaped, and wasn't alone; both Sumio and Nachi didn't move first at either. The first to jump into action was Nachi, the hot-headed girl always wanting to be the first to win. Katsu and Sumio followed a half-second later.

Left alone on the path, Taichi just shook his head and laughed to himself. It had been almost fourteen years since he himself had graduated from the academy. He missed those days; everything seemed so new and amazing.

"Now look at me," he chuckled to himself, and his hands in front of his chest, forming a strange hand sign; he crossed the index and middle fingers on his left hand horizontally across the same fingers on his right, forming a T-shape. "_Shadow Clone Jutsu!"_

There were three puffs of billowing white smoke, which all cleared to revealed a perfect copy of Taichi in each. The clones crouched down, preparing to jump.

"Alright," ordered the original, standing behind the others. "Follow them and see what they do. I'll go to the shrine."

**000**

And so the second challenge begins! This jōnin sure is a fast one, isn't he? But just how speedy is he? We'll find out in the race.

So, that's all for now. Once again, you can check out the pictures of the characters on DeviantArt. Remember, my account name is Animaster2195.

Stay tuned for the next chapter. Next time, the race begins! But how will Katsu, Nachi, and Sumio go about it? Will they help one another…or hinder each other? And what about Taichi and his Shadow Clones? What does he have planned? Find out all this and more in the next chapter of Nindō: Shinobi Heart!


	3. Forest Feud

**Nindō – Shinobi Heart**

Phew, it's been a while. Well, I'm taking a two or three month break from my Pokemon story to focus on DBX and this, so expect more chapters over the next few months at least.

Just to refresh your memory, since it's been a while since the last chapter, last time Squad F was introduced to their sensei, Taichi Bako, a lightning fast Jōnin who begins training right away. Their task; reach the Houkajin shrine before Taichi does.

On with the chapter!

**000**

Like three shadows, the members of Squad F dashed from the path, leaving Taichi behind. The grass was crushed beneath their feet, and left behind, the genin sprinting East towards the Houkajin Shrine.

Katsu's mind was darting from thought to thought as he ran. He would have preferred a little time to prepare for the game, but he guessed that it was all part of the challenge. On his right was Sumio, the smaller boy level with him. Next to _him _was Nachi, the fiery girl taking extremely long strides, practically leaping instead of running.

So close to the main road, the trees were fairly spaced, providing an easy path. The four hour journey to the shrine wouldn't be an easy one; endurance aside, it was easy to get lost in the vast forests surrounding the village.

Katsu ducked left under a fallen tree hanging across the path, rolling along the mossy forest floor before grabbing a nearby branch and pulling himself back to his feet, already in full stride. Sumio called out to his team-mates.

"Hold on for a minute! Stop here!"

Katsu and Nachi both continued running, glaring at each other as they did so. "Why should we stop?" shouted back Katsu, leaping over a large root sticking a metre into the air. Sumio flipped over it and landed in front of the genin, forcing Katsu to skid to a halt to avoid running into him. A short distance away, Nachi kicked against a tree and sailed over to them, landing into a crouch next to Sumio.

She straightened up, looking annoyed. "What is it, Sumio?" she asked. "We're losing precious time here."

"We need to come up with a strategy to get there before Taichi-sensei does," replied Sumio. "You saw how fast he was before, didn't you? We can't beat him just by running as fast as we can."

Nachi just scoffed. "Forget it. I see what you're talking about, Sumio, but it's a _race. _We're all in it to get there first, so I'm doing it my way."

Nachi was at least a full head taller than Sumio, but he stood his ground. "That won't work. Come on, Nachi, we're a team now, remember?"

The girl just laughed cockily. "That's just a way to split us up so that we all get taught by what we're good at." She glared at Katsu. "Besides, there's no way I'm going to work with _him."_

Katsu scowled. "Likewise."

Sumio's shoulders fell, and he sighed. Nachi flicked her fringe back. "If I don't move now, that Taichi will get there before me. Scatter-time!"

She turned without another word and sprang into the air, landing deftly on a branch high above them and disappearing from sight. Sumio looked at Katsu, who just smiled before heading in the opposite direction. They were both following different paths to the shrine, leaving Sumio on his own. Grimacing at their stubbornness, he bunched up his legs and sprinted away. If they were going to screw up and lose because they refused to cooperate, then he may as well do his best to get there as well.

And close behind, as silent as an assassin in the night, a tall blur followed him, soundlessly tracking the genin through the woods. At the exact same time, two identical shapes were tailing Katsu and Nachi.

Taichi's shadow clones had seen the entire exchange.

**000**

The peaceful silence of the forest was broken only by the twittering of a small bird. It was perched delicately on a twig, its tiny beak quivering rapidly as it sung to itself. The bird knew that if the only it could hear was itself, it was safe.

So then, when a tiny hum reached it, the bird was wary. As the hum grew louder, it was alarmed. And as the hum was joined by a rapid thundering that was rapidly increasing in volume, it took flight, getting as fast as it could out of ther-

VROOM!

A green and brown blur exploded between the trees a hundred metres from the bird, reaching it in a single second, before zooming by under it and continuing on its way. The bird was stunned, flapping its tiny wings unconsciously as it stared after the blur.

The blur, of course, was Taichi Bako.

The elite jōnin blinded through the forest, arms held straight behind him to offer the least wind resistance. The constant thundering was caused by his feet hitting the ground like hammers, legs working like fleshy pistons.

Ahead of him, the trees parted to reveal a wide lake, a water source amid the endless woods. The water, fed by one of the many streams branching through the Land of Fire, was overlooked by a large temple, a solid block of stone. Vines ran across its surface, spelling out the symbol for fire. In front of the temple was a statue of a Leaf Shinobi, his clothes plain and his face featureless. The Houkajin Shrine.

The shrine and the lake were separated by a flat stretch of land devoid of trees. The surface of the water glimmered brightly under the sun, the burning rays able to reach the ground due to the lack of trees.

Rocketing from the trees on the other side of the lake, Taichi reached the bank and kicked off, clearing the entire lake in a single bound. At the end of his jump, he somersaulted and landed flawlessly on one knee, head bowed.

Taichi's eyes opened, and he glanced upwards. The four-hour journey had only taken him fifty-three minutes. Now came the hard part; waiting for the genin to arrive. Sitting around wasn't something Taichi was very fond of; he hated waiting.

The jōnin gave a great yawn, stretching his arms to the sky as he relaxed his muscles, and then scratching his stomach. With his other hand, he snagged a small piece of chocolate from a pocket and ate it.

The shrine stood twenty metres away, the statue in front staring down coldly at Taichi, as it had done since the day it was crafted. Taichi winked at it, grinning.

"Hi there, Houkajin," he called.

And as it did every time someone talked to it, the statue was silent, the figure's stony eyes staring straight ahead at Taichi. The jōnin chuckled to himself and sat down to wait, crouching close to the ground and pulling out a kunai knife. The black steel flashed as he flipped it around, bored.

And that's when he noticed the flame. It was a few metres away, a tiny fire flickering away, minding its own business. Frowning, Taichi waddled over to it, still crouching, and waved his hand over the flame, which instantly went out.

And that's when he noticed the second flame. It was a few metres away from the first, a tiny fire flickering way, minding its own business. Taichi extinguished it as well, and was just about to do the same for the third one he noticed when he saw a tiny movement out of the corner of his eye.

The jōnin didn't waste a second, springing backwards and backflipping several times, just as several kunai smashed into the grass where he'd just squatted. Each one was on fire.

Taichi landed on the bank of the lake, scanning rapidly for his attacker. He knew the direction that the kunai had come from, skilfully examining the area even as he was leaping to avoid the attack, but his assailant had already left the spot, moving to a new area. Right now, they could be anywhere.

A bolt of fire speared from a spot to the right of the shrine, and Taichi just leaned to the side. The tongue of fire zoomed past, and almost instantaneously, another one was on the way, from a completely different spot. This one was dodged easily as well, and suddenly a dark shape sprinted from the trees and struck out at him. Taichi leapt backwards, avoiding the attack easily. He slid out of the edge of the bank and onto the water, but instead of sinking, just kept on skidding, until he was standing on top of the surface of the lake, fifty feet off shore.

The dark shape that had attacked him had its face covered by some sort of cloth, tightly wrapped around its head. Two slits were cut roughly into the cloth for their eyes, with a larger one for the mouth.

"Fire Style!" the attacker yelled, and the voice was female. She rapidly formed six hand signs, ending with the tiger seal. "Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The assailant opened her mouth wide, and a colossal burst of fire erupted from her body, shooting out over the surface of the lake at Taichi. It enveloped the water, the liquid evaporating into steam.

The attacker ended the jutsu and the fire died down, only for a blur to shoot in front of her.

"Not good enough," Taichi yelled, and he clapped his hands together once. "Gale Palm Jutsu!"

The attacker flinched and took a step back, but it was too late as a violent wind swirled around the lake and barrelled towards them, whipping around Taichi and buffeting roughly against the masked ninja. She screamed as the wind picked her right up off her feet and threw her backwards, smashing her into the hard wall of the stone shrine.

She winced painfully, but the breath was driven right out of her as Taichi cleared the distance between them in a second and slammed his forearm against her throat, pinning the attacker to the shrine. She gasped and clung to his arm to stop herself from choking.

"Good to see you, Hotaru," said Taichi, reaching up with his free arm and tearing off her mask. Charcoal black hair pointed up at the back, and long bangs hung down on either side of her cocky face. Four years younger than Taichi, she was twenty, and wore a green vest and red pants. Over her shoulders and back was a coat the same colour as her hair.

"Taichi," Hotaru smirked. "As fast as ever, huh?" She wretched and he let her go, the woman rubbing at her neck. "You don't go easy, do you?"

"You attacked me first," said Taichi. He sat back down and began playing with his kunai again, balancing it on the tip of his finger. "You're back from your mission, then?"

Hotaru nodded, and leant against the shrine, nodding politely to the statue. "I haven't been home to Konoha in almost five months. All this negotiation with the Sand Village; being an ambassador isn't easy."

Taichi chuckled, but then looked serious. "What are they doing about the new Kazekage?"

Hotaru glanced around quickly to make sure they weren't being overheard. "It's an important topic. They're going over so many candidates and not actually getting anywhere, as far as I can tell. But the name that comes up the most seems to be that Gaara kid. You know, the one from the invasion?"

Taichi looked confused. "The Fourth's son? But…he holds the Shukaku inside him. Is it really that safe to have him as their new leader? From what I could tell, he wasn't quite right in the head."

Hotaru nodded. "That's what I told them, but Baki has all this faith in him. Gaara's changed a lot; the Sand Siblings even helped out with the…Uchiha situation."

Her face went dark, as if a shadow had passed overhead, but the sky was clear. Taichi also went quiet.

The kunoichi shook her head. "I've gotta get back to the village. Lady Tsunade's expecting me." She smirked. "I've never met her before, it should be a fun experience. See you around, Taichi."

Taichi just laughed, and Hotaru sprang into the forest, disappearing from site. Sighing, the Jōnin leant back against the shrine again, and nibbled on a piece of chocolate. It was going to be a long wait…

**000**

The trees rushed by Katsuto's face as he dashed between them, leaping over roots and between trunks. The scenery had seemed the same for a while, the trees seeming to all meld into one another.

Katsu's pointy black hair whipped back as he ran, waving fiercely under the wind. As he jumped between two branches, a flurry of twigs snapped against his headband, and he was glad that it was there. Not only did the forehead protector signify him as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, it also fulfilled its purpose by actually protecting his forehead.

He slowed down as he ducked around a tree, narrowly dodging the one behind it just before he smashed into it. Throwing his body into the air, Katsu grabbed a thick branch and tossed himself even higher up, somersaulting and then landing on an even bigger branch. It was wide and sturdy enough to hold his entire body, and he leant heavily against the trunk, breathing slowly.

The constant running was beginning to exhaust him; the race had begun over three hours ago. Katsu knew that the Shrine was near, but there was still quite a way to go and he decided to have a quick break to catch his breath. A few minutes should do it.

_SNAP!_

Katsu instinctively ducked, pressing his body against the trunk to make himself less visible. A few seconds later, there was a dull thump as a heavy shape landed on the forest floor below. Peeking carefully over the edge of the branch, Katsu saw Nachi Takaho kneeling on the ground a short distance away. She looked as fresh as ever, to his chagrin, her long purple hair still tied neatly behind her head.

For at least ten seconds, she didn't move, and Katsu realised that she must actually be as worn out as he was, just able to hide it better.

"_What a cow," _he thought. "_She thinks she's so good."_

As Katsu watched intently from his position on the branch of the tree, Nachi straightened up and looked around. But she didn't look up. And that's when Katsu made his move.

It was a race after all. And he wanted to win over Nachi.

As silently as he could, Katsu shifted to the edge of the branch and reached behind him, where a pouch hung from a loop on his pants. Snapping the catch of the pouch open, he slid a kunai from within and held it tightly in a reverse grip. Nachi had thrown one at him earlier in the day and almost killed him. It was time to return the favour. He wouldn't aim to kill; no way. He'd just slow her down a little, enough to allow him to beat her in the race.

The genin took a deep breath. "Here goes," he muttered. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, Nachi."

Ever since declaring themselves rivals, the two had been in a number of physical scuffles over the years, but had always been broken up by various senior ninja, Iruka most common among them. But out here in the forest…they could fight to their heart's content.

He jumped. The air rushed by his face, but he ignored it.

"Heads up, Nachi!" he shouted. "You've had this coming for a while!"

Below, Nachi flashed around and for a second, her eyes widened, not expecting him. But it was too late to move, and Katsu swiped the kunai through the air and slashed her shoulder.

As Nachi grunted in pain, Katsu safely landed in a crouch, and glanced back, expecting to see Nachi stumbling away…

_POOF!_

"Huh?" he gasped, as his rival's body disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, and a sense of dread rose within him. A loud whistle sounded in his ears, and he only just managed to avoid the shuriken that spun his way, knocking it out of its trajectory with the kunai still clenched in his hand.

"Caught in the same trap twice in a day," laughed Nachi. "You might have beaten me on the written test, but you're still not very smart, are you?"

"_A Substitution Jutsu," _thought Katsu angrily. "_Then she knew I was there the whole time…"_

Nachi was perched twenty metres away, standing on a root as thick as her entire body. Her cocky smug face grinned confidently at him, and she spun another shuriken around her finger.

"Shut up, Nachi!" Katsu snapped. "You're not winning this race. I'll fight you right here and now!"

Nachi flicked the shuriken and caught it by one of the points, raising it threateningly. "Bring it!"

**000**

In another part of the forest, Sumio ran, cursing his team-mates the entire time. Why did they have to be so stubborn? If they'd all work together, they could co-ordinate as a team, set traps to delay Taichi, use each other's knowledge of the forest, and generally help one another out. They'd still lose to their sensei, but at least they could build their teamwork and maybe stand a slightly better chance.

But noooooooo, Katsuto and Nachi just had to do it alone, and try to take all the glory for themselves. Sumio sighed. He knew that they weren't antagonising him on purpose, but if they kept it up he'd have to talk some sense into them. They _were_ a team, after all. If they weren't going to work together, what was the point of even calling themselves a squad?

Sumio dodged around a tree, and spotted a chain-link fence up ahead, approaching fast. Flicking his eyes up and down its length, he noted the lack of warning signs, and knew that it was safe to cross. The genin skipped up the barrier, leaping deftly over the top and landing heavily on the other side. Taking a second to catch his breath, he set off again.

The trees were a lot thinner and less crowded on this side of the fence, and he knew that he was in one of the training grounds surrounding the Village, probably one designed for open area fighting. Nevertheless, he stuck to the trees, leaping between the branches.

Landing on a thick root, he launched himself into the air to reach the next branch, when he turned his head mid jump. On his right, the open ground stretched away from him. In the middle of the flat ground stood three upright wooden poles, in a line. But that wasn't what caught his eye. About a hundred metres beyond the three poles was built another structure, and this one was no mere pole.

It appeared to be made out of some sort of glossy stone, and was roughly in the shape of a kunai. It stood on a ring of carved bricks, and standing forlornly in front of it was a tall man, with white-grey spiky hair. His back was to Sumio, and his hands were in his pockets. The Shinobi was perfectly still, staring down at the characters carved into the stone.

And then Sumio landed on the next branch and his view was momentarily obscured. Cursing, he inched around the trunk onto another branch, but by the time he did so – literally two seconds - the man had gone. Sumio tilted his head, surprised. How had he disappeared so quickly?

A tiny snuffle reached his ears, and he looked down to the ground below, and nearly jumped out of his skin…

Taichi Bako was sitting at the base of the tree, head back against the trunk. Sleeping.

Sumio flinched, suddenly moving as quietly as he could. And he didn't know why. It was just instinctive; he knew that Taichi wasn't his enemy, and he _was _asleep, but despite this, Sumio felt that it would be foolish to make any noise.

Perhaps it was because it was a race, and Taichi was his opponent…suddenly, Sumio felt a strange feeling of elation. The shrine was fairly close, and his sensei wasn't going anywhere. He was now in the running to actually win the race.

But first, he had to make sure it wasn't a trap. Sumio produced a length of thin but sturdy rope from a loop on his belt and tied it silently around the branch he stood on, before gently lowering himself down to hang above Taichi. The rope creaked, and he grimaced.

Letting himself slip down a little further, Sumio became level with his teacher, hanging with one arm from the rope and preventing the loose end from slapping against the ground with the other. With wary eyes, he glanced over Taichi's face, and then extremely quietly began to hum. When Taichi made no movement beyond soft breathing, Sumio hummed louder. Still no reaction.

Sumio smiled.

Because now he was almost positive that Taichi was actually sleeping – he also took a moment to marvel at the stupidity of such an action in the middle of a race. Still moving painstakingly slowly, he pulled himself back up the rope and untied it. And with a final glance at his sleeping sensei, Sumio sprang off the branch and back into the forest.

It was time to end this race.

**000**

SWIZCH!

As sharp as a razor and twice as fast, Nachi's shuriken hissed through the air at Katsu, but he raised his kunai just in time and knocked it aside, before springing forward towards his rival, blade at the ready. Shouting angrily, he kicked off from the ground and hurled into the air.

If he could just get in close…Katsu knew he was superior to Nachi when it came to Taijutsu alone. In a straight match with only physical attacks, he'd be able to win.

But despite his advantage, Nachi was still no slouch, and she was fast and agile, almost as much as Katsu was. As he struck down with the kunai, she backflipped off the root she was balancing on and kicked off a tree, leaping over his head to land behind him. Katsu's kunai embedded into the tough root and got stuck, so he abandoned it and spun around.

Nachi was gone.

Cursing, Katsu looked around wildly. Where had she gone? Surely she hadn't dashed away? No, Katsu knew her far too well for that; she'd never pass up an opportunity to fight him so easily. No, she was still here somewhere…

"Boo!" shrieked Nachi as she streaked down from above, fist held back. There was a loud crunch as she punched Katsu across the face, and he stumbled backwards, struggling to stay on his feet. His cheek now aching dully. Great…

As Nachi attempted to follow up with a spinning kick, Katsu regained his balance and grabbed her ankle. Nachi struggled, but he pulled her in and hit her in the stomach. She crumpled up under his fist, and Katsu took the opportunity to pay her back for her blow, smashing his fist under her chin. A rush of satisfaction overtook him as she crashed to the ground, wincing and clutching at her jaw. A second later, though, she rolled to her feet and rapidly backpedalled.

"You cheap bastard," she scowled. "Hitting a girl…"

"It doesn't count if you're a kunoichi, Nachi."

"Oh yeah? Well, does _this _count?"

She sprinted right at him, slipping a kunai from her waist as she did so, and Katsu hastily countered with one of his own. The blades rang as they clashed together, and the ferocity of Nachi's attack drove Katsu back a few steps. His teeth were bared as Nachi raised both arms above her head and drove her knife down, only for Katsu to block it easily. Each struggled to overpower the other for a second, but then Nachi broke away, leaping high into the air and landing on a nearby branch, six metres above the ground.

Katsu took a few ragged breaths, keeping a wary eye on her. After a long run through the forest, he was already pretty worn down, and combat was no relaxing task. Grimacing, he wiped away a fleck of blood from where Nachi's kunai had nicked his shoulder, slicing through the fishnet undervest that he wore.

As Nachi landed on her branch, her hands flashed in front of her, forming three shapes with her fingers.

"_Tatsu-Tora-Ne!"_

"_She's using a jutsu!" _thought Katsu, instantly on her guard. For genin fresh out of the academy, any sort of actual jutsu apart from diversionary techniques like substitutions were uncommon, but Nachi came from a long line of Ninjutsu practitioners.

"Water Style: Water Jet!" yelled Nachi, and inhaled deeply. Instantly, the branch beneath her seemed to dry out, crackling and dehydrating, as Nachi absorbed the water from within. The genin's chest inflated like a balloon, and a second later she opened her mouth and a jet of water fired from her throat, cannoning towards Katsuto.

"_Where did she learn that?" _he thought in disbelief, leaping to the side to avoid the jet. Nachi followed him, rotating her head on the spot and sending the water straight after him. It punched into the trees as it passed, gouging at the wood.

Katsu ran in a wide circle around the tree where Nachi stood, the torrent hot on his tail. Suddenly, it ended, and Katsu knew that Nachi must have cancelled the jutsu. Whether it was because she'd run out of water or simply to preserve chakra, Katsu didn't know, but he wasted no time. Skidding to a stop, he spun and sprinted directly at Nachi, leaping up to her branch and slugging her hard across the face.

Nachi was blown off the branch, but no sooner had Katsu begun to celebrate when…

POOF!

"No way!" shouted Katsu, as the cloud of smoke faded to reveal a small log where Nachi had been. "Not _another _substitution!"

He felt a heavy boot impact on his lower back and he fell off the branch, heading directly towards the next tree.

THWACK!

**000**

Wooh. Sorry again about taking so long to update. But now it's done. By the way, I've uploaded a picture of Hotaru onto DeviantArt, so feel free to take a peek.

So, who will finally win this race? Taichi seemed to get there first, but then what's he doing sleeping under a tree all the way over in the Third Training Ground? Next chapter, Sumio makes his final dash for the finish line. And what about Katsuto and Nachi? How will their brawl turn out?

Toodles!


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